Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
For the final Weekend Roundup of the semester (and my Gazette career) we’re rounding up a collection of events for this weekend and the rest of finals so that those of you looking for an adventurous study break can find a little inspiration here.
First a note for on-campus events, Spring Fling Weekend and Reading Week bring a number of exciting possibility, including the “24 Hour Theater Festival” starting Sunday in Parrish Parlors, “Macbeth” in the Crum, the continued senior art major shows, the Chorus Concert, Rhythm n’ Motion, Terpsichore, and Jambo (among others).
Weekend of May 2-3: “Bluebird,” Museum Week, and Ravel
Swat alum Mark Loria ’08 is playing the music of George Crumb in theatre company EgoPo’s production of Maurice Maeterlinck’s “Bluebird.” The play is, as Loria describes it, “a rather enchanting and surreal children’s story… [in which] a boy and his sister journey to find their lost Bluebird. Granted the ability to see into the soul of things living and (seemingly inanimate), brother and sister are thrust from their comparatively dreary existence into a secret world of dreams and fantasy, while joined by the personifications of their cat, dog, and cake.”
You can also use this weekend to take advantage of the end of Museum Week, in which many museums reduce entrance fees and gift store prices, check out especially good deals at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Museum, Longwood Gardens, and Philly’s science museums.
Finally, you can also catch up on your opera as two short operas by Ravel are being run back to back: “L’enfant et les sortileges,” also a tale about children who’s inanimate playthings come to life (though with a vengeance), and “Gianni schicchi,” a tale about quarreling over the family fortune.
Weekend of May 9-10: Beethoven’s Emperor, Rittenhouse festival
Stop by the Perelman Theater Sunday night (and listen to a piece whose second movement never fails to send chills down my spine), for Beethoven’s Emperor, (Piano Concerto Number 5 in E flat Major) is being performed by the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia.
If you’re in the city on Saturday, check out Rittenhouse Row’s swanky Spring Festival, which includes live music, restaurant booths, and fashion shows.
Finally, if you missed last weekend’s operas or you really want to live vicariously through a crazy person, check out the famous mad soprano scene of “Lucia di Lammermoor,” by Donizetti, an opera based on Sir Walter Scott’s novel, “The Bride of Lammermoor,” set in 17th century Scotland.
Weekend of May 16-17: Old City and Italian Market Festivals, Musicals
A weekend of many festivals, Old City Sidewalk Sale runs this weekend, in which the artsy and amusing shops of Old City put their ware out on the streets amidst free food, raffles, and local bands. If you’re at all hungry, visit the Italian Market Festival (sponsored by though not exclusively about Sorrento Cheese). The festival is a chance to see the famous Philadelphia open-air market go all out with cookies demonstrations, musicians, and free samples.
This is also a good weekend for musical aficionados who will likely enjoy “Forbidden Broadway’s Greatest Hits,” a revue and parody of big name Broadway Musicals, and Mel Brooks’ “The Producers” at the Walnut Street Theatre.
Weekend of May 23-24: Further Afield
If you still happen to be around and have a car, you can visit the Main Line’s 111th Devon Horse Show and Country Fair. Other things to try if you have a car are driving north to Jim Thorpe, PA, for a day of hiking or biking along one of the rail and trail routes or up the waterfall trail by Glen Onoko Falls. If you canoe, rent a boat at Northbrook Canoe Company and float down the Brandywine.
Whatever you choose, I wish you all the best on your adventures and to all who have regularly read this piece, many thanks and hope you have a wonderful weekend with many more to come (So go outside and do something!).
